Powdering machine



0a. 22, 1929. J G, N 1,732,641

POWDERING MACHINE Filed April .7, .1926

Patented Oct. 22, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES C. COON, OFBROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE COON-WAY MACHINE COMPANYINCORPORATED, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK POWDERINGMACHINE Application filed April '7,

This invention relates to powdering machines such as employed tosprinkle a film of powder on sheets of paper, cardboard or the like toaid in various kinds of printing operations. The invention is shown asapplied to a powdering attachment for printing presses employing thesystem of plateless engraving and comprises essentially a means forsprinkling a film of powder of uniform thickness on the work and thenblowing off the excess powder before the work leaves the machine. One ofthe objects of the invention is to improve upon and simplify thepowdering machine disclosed in my prior application for improvements inplateless engraving machines, Serial No. 10,503 filed February 20, 1925.

Referring to the drawings in which a preferred form of the invention isshown.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of my powdering machine. orattachment.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail view in perspective with parts broken away, of themeans of regulating the amount of powder used.

Fig. l is a vertical section through one end of the container for thepowder and the agitator.

Fig. 5 is a section on enlarged scale through the blower-pipe.

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view showing a modified form of blower pipe.

The machine is shown as mounted on a suitable support 1 having journaledtherein at opposite ends a pair of rollers 2 and 3 over which passes anendless open-work belt 4 serving as a traveling carrier for the work.The machine may be mounted between a printing machine and a heatingmachine and the rollers may be driven if desired by the lat ter as bymeans of a pulley 5 and chain or belt 6. Above the traveling belt ismounted a container 7 for the powder. Said container is shown asextending substantially across the belt with sides 8 and 9 taperingdownwardly and a hinged top 10. Near the bottom there is journaled astirring or agitating mechanism. As shown this comprises a central shaft11 journaled in the uprights 12 and driven from a sprocket-wheel 13.

Said wheel in turn may be driven from a second sprocket wheel lt mountedon the shaft of pulley 5. To said shaft is secured discs 15, betweenwhich extend rods 17 and 18, so that as the shaft is revolved the rodscontinuously stir the powder at the bottom of the container.

having a plurality of staggered apertures 21. A. variable number ofapertures in said discs may be brought into register with the aperturesin the container by rotating the discs by means of the handles 22thereon.

Beneath the container and between it and the work is mounted a powderdistributing or agitating device. This is shown as a shallow box 23having a wire mesh bottom 24: and is slidably supported on rods 43 and Mby ears 4L5 thereon (Fig. 1) The agitator is continuously reciprocatedby any suitable means'such as by means of a link 25 connecting theagitator to a crank 26 on the stub shaft 27 having at its other end abevel gear 28 meshing with a bevel gear 29 on the shaft 11 of thestirring mechanism.

The blower proper is shown as inclosed within a housing 30 and driven byan electric motor. 31. The blower is connected by a downwardly extendingpipe 32 to a transverse pipe 33 having therein small apertures ornozzles 34 from which the a1r is blown on the work. Preferably saidtransverse pipe 33 extends diagonally across the traveling belt so thatthe draught of air emerging therefrom will not blow the paper or cardsaway or cause the same to flutter by getting under the advancing edge ofthe same. Also the apertures 34: are slightly inclined to the ver tical(see Fig. 5 where the arrow 35 shows the direction of travel of thework), so that the air is blown slightly against the travel of the work.The powder after being blown from the work drops through the open-workwire belt 4; down into the compartment where it gradually collects atthe bottom thereof. At this point I may provide a removable drawer 36 sothat the powder collecting therein may be poured back into thecontainer. V

Preferably the powdering machine proper and blower are covered by ahousing 40 which prevents the powder from being wasted'or blown into theair of the room when removed from the) sheets. As shown said housing isprovided at the far end with the end wall 41. There may be also providedwithin the housing a wall or plate 42 entending downwardly from the topof the housing to the transverse pipe 33. This may serve both to aid insupporting the pipe and is an additional means of preventing the escapeof the powder dust.

In Fig. 6 is shown a modified form of transversely extending blowerpipe. Instead of extending the pipe at the same angle across the work itis shown as extending from the central point thereof where it joins thedownwardly extending pipe 32 at two equal but opposite angles toformpipes 33 and 83 thus preserving the acute angle of attack for ,the airblast but avoiding any tendency of the air toblow the sheets toward oneside of the belt. 7

From'the foregoing, the operation of my 'inventionwill be apparent.IVhen the machine is running the paper or cards or other sheet materialbeing printed are received from the printing machine on to the travelingbelt 4;. -Fromthere they are carried under the agitator "or distributor23 which receives the powder from the container 7 above the same lin aiiniform amount due to the operation of the stirring means. The amountof powder flowingis regulated by moving the handles. No matter how muchor. how little powder is flowing it is equally distributed by thecontinuous operation of thefagitator. It will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the part ofthe powder alighting on the moist inkwill stick to the same while the remainder is removed'by the blower asthe sheets advance iunder the transverse pipe. From there the sheets arecarried on to the heating machines or to any otherpi'ocess desired. Inaccordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have hereindescribed the principle and operation'of my invention, together with theapparatus which I now consider to represent the bestembodimentthereof,but I-desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown isonly illustrative and that the-invention can be carried out by othermeans. Also,while itvis designed to use the :various features andelements in the combination and" relations described, some of these maybe altered and others omitted withoutinterfering with. the more generalresults outlined, and the invention extends to such use. 4 Havingdescribed my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent 1s: 1

1. A powdering machine for the platelcss engraving of separate cards orsheets of paper comprising a traveling belt adapted to carry said cards,means for sprinkling powder on the cards on said belt after printing,and means for blowing off excess powder before heating including a pipeextending diagonally across the belt and provided with a plurality ofapertures adapted to direct the air generally downwardly and against thetravel of the work.

2. A powdering machine for the platelcss engraving of separate cards orsheets of paper comprising a traveling belt adapted to carry said cards,means for revolving said belt, a perforated container for the printpowder, means on said container for varying the rate of flow of thepowder therefrom, and a blower having an outlet member extendingdiagonally across said belt between the said member and the delivery endof said belt for blowing the excess powder from the paper before itleaves the machine 3. An attachment for plateless engraving heatingmachines adapted for aids and separate sheets of paper, comprising atraveling belt, means for revolving the same, perforated container forthe print powder, means on said container for varying the rate of flowof the powder therefrom, and a blower having an outlet member extendingdiagonally across said belt between the said member and the delivery endof said belt for blowing the excess powder from the paper before itenters the heating machine.

4. An attachment for plateless engraving heating machines adapted forcards and separate sheets of paper, comprising a traveling perforatedbelt, a container for the print powder above the same, a sieve betweenthe container and belt, a blower having an outlet member extendingdiagonally across said belt provided with a plurality of downwardlyfacing apertures, said member being located between the said member andthe deliver Y end of said belt for blowing the excess powder from thepaper before it enters the heating machine, and a catch pan under saidbelt for catching said excess powder.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

JAMES C. COON.

